Fair Grounds Publishes Nominations for Road to the Derby Kickoff Day

By Kevin Kilroy —-

Fair Grounds Publishes Nominations for Road to the Derby Kickoff Day

Touchuponastar One of Several Set to Defend Louisiana Champions Day Title

NEW ORLEANS (Dec. 8, 2025) — Stakes nominations for Road to the Derby Kickoff Day have been published by Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, led by the 5th Running of the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes, which drew 21 nominations for 2-year-old males. The Road to the Derby Kickoff Day is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 20.

At 1 1/16 miles, the Gun Runner serves as the first local stop on the Road to the 2026 Kentucky Derby, awarding 10-5-3-2-1 points to the top five finishers. Brad Cox leads all trainers with five nominees, including Gary and Mary West’s Rancho Santa Fe and Twin Creeks Racing Stable’s White Tiger. Four juveniles trained by Ken McPeek were nominated, highlighted by 4 G Racing, Gregg Day, Steven Crain, and Magdalena Racing’s Universe, who ranks fourth on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 13 points.

Other notable Gun Runner nominees include Mesquite (trainer Cherie DeVaux); Liberty Valance and Stop the Car (Brendan Walsh); Chip Honcho (Steve Asmussen); and Oscar’s Hope and Big Dom (Tom Amoss).

The 5th Running of the Untapable Stakes for two-year-old fillies at one mile and 70 yards attracted 17 nominations and awards 10-5-3-2-1 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Key fillies include Taken by the Wind, the Grade 3 Pocahontas winner and one of three for McPeek, and Life of Joy, the Rags to Riches winner and one of four nominated for Cox.

The 20th Running of the Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes, for three-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on turf, closed with 22 nominations. Notable entries include Flying Mohawk (Whit Beckman); Gigante and Lagynos (Asmussen); and Legalize and Northern Invader (DeVaux).

The 61st Running of the Tenacious Stakes, for three-year-olds and up at one mile and one-sixteenth, closed with 20 nominations. Notable horses include Just a Touch (Cox); Sir Greylind (McPeek); Stowaway (Beckman); Not This Boy (Doug Cowans); Komorebino Omoide (Robertino Diodoro); and Otello (Miguel Clement).

All four races will be drawn one week in advance on Saturday, Dec. 13. Full lists of nominees, including past performances, are available on Equibase here: https://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaSNHW.cfm?trk=FG.

Touchuponastar One of Several Set to Defend Louisiana Champions Day Title

Set-Hut’s grade 2 winner Touchuponastar will attempt to capture a record fourth $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic, adding another highlight to his resume. The defending champion tops a group of six returning titleholders seeking additional Champions Day glory, as seven statebred stakes worth a combined $900,000 are set for Saturday, Dec. 13, at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Run at 1 1/18 miles on dirt, the Classic is scheduled as Race 4. A dozen races have been carded for Saturday. First post is 12:45 p.m. CST.

Tabbed as the 2-5 morning-line favorite in the field of six older males, Touchuponastar has won three consecutive editions of this race, mirroring the feat of his sire, Star Guitar. After last year’s score, he went on to win the New Orleans Classic (G2), handily defeating the previous year’s champion 3-year-old male, Sierra Leone. Touchuponastar enters the Classic having won back-to-back stakes at Delta Downs. The 6-year-old trained by Jeff Delhomme will be reunited with jockey Timothy Thornton.

Slated as Race 2, the 1 1/16-miles $125,000 Louisiana Champions Day Lady Turf Distaff kicks off Saturday’s stakes action. Earl Hernandez, Keith Hernandez and John Duvieilh’s homebred Highly Wicked is the 6-5 morning-line favorite as the defending champion looks to remain undefeated in 10 grass starts.

Written for six furlongs on dirt and set as Race 3, the $125,000 Champions Day Ladies Sprint will see last year’s winner World War IV Racing and Rebel Tide Racing’s Six String try to turn the tables on Norman Stables’ Secret Faith after finishing second in the Caldwell Memorial over opening weekend.

Louisiana-bred juveniles will take center stage in Races 6 and 8, beginning with the $125,000 Lassie. The six-furlong sprint is led by Coteau Grove Farms’ homebred Little Miss Curlin, who remained perfect in two starts with her win in the Ferguson Memorial. Also going three-quarters of a mile on dirt, the $125,000 Juvenile will feature a rematch between the Mr. Money-sired exacta from the Peluso Memorial. Mr. Mo Money won for trainer Brett Brinkman, but the Bret Calhoun-trained Our Moneyman ran a valiant second after breaking through the gates before the start.

An overdrawn field of 12 older males is entered for the 1 1/16-mile, $125,000 Turf, and last year’s longshot winner Woods N Water faces a tough task in his repeat bid against the top three finishers from the Morreale Memorial, including the five-time stakes winner Good and Stout. The Turf is set as Race 9.

Louisiana Champions Day stakes action concludes in Race 10 with the six-furlong, $125,000 Sprint, led by Single Malt Stables’ defending champion Geaux Sugar. Chief among his competition is Crusaders Stable’s Not On Herb, as the David Terre trainee defeated Geaux Sugar over opening weekend in the Ney Memorial.

With returning champions and competitive fields throughout the card, Louisiana Champions Day promises a strong showcase of the state’s racing talent. Full fields, including jockeys, trainers and morning-line odds, are available on Equibase at the following link: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG121325USA-EQB.html.

Live racing at Fair Grounds continues Thursday through Sunday this week, with first post set for 12:45 p.m. CT each day.

Touchuponastar; Hodges Photo

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About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one of the nation’s oldest racetracks, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, La, Fair Grounds, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 13 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 154th Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 113th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 20, 2025 through March 22, 2026. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.